Winemaker Notes
Aromas of black currant, blackberry, and dark chocolate soar from the glass. Savory notes of cocoa and black olive evoke the forest floor terroir of To Kalon. The palate mirrors the dark and rustic nose, framed by cedar, with a rich and robust, tannin-laden finish. This is a powerful wine, yet it retains precision and focus.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Massive concentration and dense tannins make this wine imposing to taste now, but it has so much potential for improvement with age. Made from 100% Mondavi Heritage Clone 31 that gives tiny yields from small grape bunches. Intense blueberry, dark chocolate, graphite and tobacco leaf flavors are tightly wrapped in fine-grained tannins. A memorable wine that will drink best from 2030.
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Jeb Dunnuck
From the heritage Mondavi clone of Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon H. W. C. tastes like the blood of Cabernet Sauvignon and shows how good this vintage is. Inky-hued, it reveals incredible levels of ripe currants, tobacco, iron, graphite, and crushed stone on the nose, and it's full-bodied on the palate, with a more focused, elegant mouthfeel, plenty of tannins, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
There are 603 cases of the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon H.W.C., which comes from a single block planted to what is referred to as the Heritage Clone. It's densely colored and dark, with scents of black cherries and cassis, while the palate is full-bodied and concentrated, yet also finer and more elegant, silkier and longer on the finish.
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Wine Spectator
A loaded red, with a mix of iris, violet and cassis aromas leading the way for dark currant, blackberry and black cherry reduction flavors. Hints of warm loam, licorice root, tobacco and singed alder check in. Everything builds through the long, muscular finish, showing terrific latent energy. Big but not a blockbuster style; this shows poise. Best from 2025 through 2045.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Home to some of the most sought-after Cabernet Sauvignon in America, Napa Valley’s Oakville district stretches across the center of Napa's valley floor and foothills between the Vaca and Mayacamas Mountains. This AVA is home to the legendary To Kalon Vineyard and Martha's Vineyard, as well as many powerhouse wineries including Screaming Eagle, Silver Oak, Robert Mondavi, Opus One, Far Niente and Groth.
The climate is generally warm and agreeable, resulting in year after year of favorable vintages. Summer days see a gentle tug of war between warmer inland air and the cool air coming in from the San Pablo Bay, creating an ideal environment to grow red varieties. Oakville's diverse soils, namely ancient sea bedrock, clay and gravel, are well-drained, and perfect for high-caliber viticulture.
Cabernet here is often bottled varietally but is also popular in Bordeaux Blends. Oakville wines are known for their silky, sensual textures, structured tannins, dark and brooding fruit and lovely aromatics. These age-worthy and prestigious wines are favored by collectors throughout the world.